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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 06 November 1999 Issue : 05/45
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Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Extracts, not exceeding 50 lines, can be used provided that this
entire header is included at the beginning of each extract.
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Please send all Editorials and Letters to the Editor at
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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1999
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CONTENTS
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NATIONAL NEWS
+ CE addresses 1st News Conference: Musharraf hints at referendum
+ CE defines NSC functions: Governors given CMs' powers
+ Ehtesab net to include military, says Musharraf
+ CE briefs EU mission on causes of takeover
+ Trade bodies seek incentives to clear dues
+ US, Russia want civilian rule in Pakistan
+ US following wait-and-see policy: Milam
+ CE reassures press of freedom
+ Delhi seeks postponement of SAARC summit
+ US says Pakistan training militants
+ C'wealth chief softens stance on Pakistan
+ Ehtesab: Asif, Benazir top list of non-PML leaders
+ Special courts to try cases of accountability
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BUSINESS & ECONOMY
+ Increase in POL prices inevitable: Dr Gulfraz
+ SBP unfreezes politicians' FC accounts
+ IT deduction on savings profit stayed
+ Govt may allow private sector to import wheat
+ Stocks suffer fresh fractional decline
+ Mutual funds trading at discounts
+ CBR pays 32 per cent more refunds
+ Tribunal refuses to delay Hubco case
+ Fresh assessment of farm tax potential likely
+ Tax exemption demanded for senior citizens
+ ADB allocates Rs0.35m for farm growth
+ Pakistan for SAARC moot on schedule, says FO
EDITORIALS & FEATURES
+ Storming of the Supreme Court Ardeshir Cowasjee
+ The new Samaritans Ayaz Amir
+ In-laws and outlaws Irfan Husain
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SPORTS
+ Pakistan take on Australia in first Test today
+ Akhtar Rasool resigns from PHF presidentship
+ Video footage of Shoaib has no official status: ACB
+ Waugh hits back at Akram's comments
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NATIONAL NEWS
991102
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CE addresses 1st News Conference: Musharraf hints at referendum
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M. Ziauddin and Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: The chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has
listed his government's priorities which include economic recovery,
provincial integration and institution building.
Speaking at his first news conference on Monday, he talked of
almost every issue - from accountability to establishing
grassroots-level democracy and making Pakistan a strong federation
in which the provinces would no more suffer from a sense of
deprivation.
For conducting an across-the-board horizontal and vertical
accountability he announced the formation of a national
accountability bureau (NAB).
He said he proposed to constitute a commission which would go
through the 1973 Constitution and make recommendations for bringing
it in line with the needs of a modern, Islamic, democratic state.
Responding to a reporter's query, he said the question of holding a
referendum to give legitimacy to his government was one of the
options which was being studied by the National Security Council.
He said he had declared his assets and thought the others who were
in the government with him and those who would join it subsequently
would follow suit.
Economic agenda
The general tried to avoid as much as possible answering questions
about details of his economic agenda and the fate of Nawaz Sharif.
He said the new finance team led by Shaukat Aziz would be framing
the economic policy which would then be sent to the NSC before
implementation. On the issue of Nawaz Sharif he sidestepped almost
all questions, saying his legal team was still in the process of
looking into the cases against the ousted prime minister.
At one point in order to lend credibility to his answer he even
admitted that the only time he had failed a test was when he
appeared in the army's legal examination, "though I passed the
second time round."
The CE said he believed in the freedom of the press and implied
that he would make it possible for the press to have access to all
information except that which impinged on national security. He
said his government would function in a state of total transparency
and it would have nothing to hide from the national press.
He said he was forced to remove the Nawaz government because it was
trying to destabilize the armed forces and creating differences in
the ranks and file of the army. "I decided not to allow the
previous rulers to play with the institution of the army and
removed them from the political scene."
Gen Musharraf said he did not know why the ousted prime minister
had tried to dismiss him when he was on an official visit to Sri
Lanka. "The way he (Nawaz Sharif) tried to dismiss me was wrong as
you have to follow set rules even while removing a peon from his
job."
No timeframe
He said he had a lot of challenges facing him and "that is why I
cannot give you any timeframe for a return to democracy." The army
would first achieve its objectives of reviving the economy,
national integration and institution building before taking the
next step of restoring democracy.
The CE appeared reluctant to make these objectives subservient to a
timetable. Rather, he appeared to have decided to make his
objectives dictate his timetable for a return to democracy. "The
economy has collapsed and it needs to be drastically improved
through long-term and viable policies," he said, adding that he
would frame such polices as would attract foreign investment.
Listing a four-point agenda for economic revival, the chief
executive said his government would try to stabilize the economy,
maintain continuity in the economic policies, re-establish
credibility and sincerity.
He thought these steps would restore the investors' confidence and
he expressed the hope that overseas Pakistanis as well as local and
foreign investors would come forward and join in national
reconstruction.
He said Pakistanis had lost their dignity and honour in the comity
of nations because of what the past governments had been doing and
that it would be one of his endeavours to correct this situation
and enable the nation to walk with its head high in the world.
While talking about national integration, he mentioned the low
representation of the smaller provinces in the federal jobs and
said you cannot maintain the spirit of the federation with such
practices. He also gave the indication that they would be treated
on a par in the distribution of development projects.
To a question, he said he had no objection to building the Kalabagh
dam but would like to take all the provinces on board before taking
any decision on the matter.
He said his government would try to depoliticize the institutions
as a first step and then would try to appoint deserving people on
merit to run these institutions.
"There will be a de-politicization of all the institutions and even
we would consider changes in the state corporations," he said,
adding that the government was considering advertising major posts
in the state-run corporations with a view to having honest and
professional people.
Small loan seekers
He said his government had no plans to touch small loan seekers and
that only the big fish will be caught. In this regard, he added,
the NAB had already started working. He said records, including
that of the ousted prime minister, were being collected and
examined.
The chief executive pointed out that speedy trial courts would soon
start working under a proper legal system. "About 322 people have
eaten over Rs220 billion which we intend to recover at all costs".
Paraphrasing a Churchillian quote, the General said: "Never before
in human history so few have plundered so much from so many".
To a question, Gen Musharraf said the national economic strategy
was being finalized which would be launched after the approval by
the National Security Council.
He said that one of the priorities was to have devolution of power
- from Centre to provinces and then to the district level with a
view to making the local bodies institutions more effective. He
said the government needed to look into the role of the DCs, SPs
and other such officers. He said his think-tank would propose
changes in the administrative structure of the country to be
formally approved by the NSC.
He held out the assurance that he would include women in all the
provincial and federal cabinets and also ensure their presence in
the local bodies.
The CE forcefully said he would not allow anyone to exploit the
religion. "Let us make sure that there will be no political
exploitation of religion and those who would do so would be dealt
with strictly," he warned. He said his government believed in Quran
and Sunnat and would seek guidance from the principles of Islam.
"We all are Muslims and we should promote good intentions and
truth," he said, adding that there was no need to have any debate
on the religion.
When asked how a moderate leader like him would lead a hardline
nation like Pakistan, his answer was: "It is a difficult question
to answer".
Asked when would cases against the deposed prime minister be
finalized, he said courts would decide about Nawaz Sharif.
To a question, he said the army would not be allowed to interfere
in the civilian affairs but the overall monitoring of the
performance of the government would be done by the army, which, he
said, was spread all over the country.
He again rejected the idea that there was a martial law in the
country. "we are not working under any martial law system. It is a
mixed system."
To a question, he said his government was trying to have good
relations with Iran, Afghanistan and India and added that there was
no change in the foreign policy of Pakistan. He further said that
Islamabad wanted to co-exist in the region with India peacefully.
"We want to discuss and sort out all outstanding issues with India,
including the core issue of Kashmir."
He said his government would like to enter into dialogue with India
on Kashmir or any other matter which India wants to discuss
simultaneously but it would have no dialogue with India which does
not cover Kashmir.
Responding to another question, he said Pakistan believed in
minimum nuclear deterrence. "We already have minimum deterrence in
conventional weapons and we would try to maintain the same in
nuclear weapons."
When he was reminded about hostile statements by Indian leaders
against Pakistan, he said: "Hostility will be met with hostility
and peace will be met with peace".
He claimed that Nawaz Sharif had harmed the national interest by
sharing secrets of the country with India. In this regard he
referred to the statement of former Indian prime minister Inder
Kumar Gujral which said Nawaz Sharif used to talk to him by
telephone late in the night only to inform him about the activities
of the Kashmiri freedom fighters.
"What Nawaz Sharif has done with former chief of the army staff Gen
Jahangir Karamat is before everybody," he said, denying that the
ousted prime minister was bringing about some structural changes in
the army by having him dismissed.
He said he had no idea whether there would be fresh elections or
the suspended national and provincial assemblies would be revived.
"The matter is being examined by the legal experts," he added.
To another question, Gen Musharraf said his government was not
seeking the expulsion of Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan at the
behest of the US. "We have nothing to do with that issue," he said,
adding that the Taliban knew better what to do about Osama and the
US demand.
He was reminded that he had taken a lot of time to choose the
members of the NSC some of whom did not enjoy good reputation. "I
have heard about it and perhaps we might have made some mistakes in
selecting the members of the NSC. The intentions were good, the
judgment might have been wrong. But I assure you that if their
performance is not satisfactory, they will be changed."
Gen Musharraf agreed with a reporter that Sharifuddin Pirzada, the
ex-officio member of the NSC, had been allowed to continue his
legal practice. "He is an ex-officio member of the Council and not
a full-time member".
Talking about his differences with Nawaz Sharif, he denied that he
and the ousted prime minister were not comfortable because of the
Kargil crisis. He said he had expressed his point of view on the
Kargil issue at the DCC (Defence Committee of Cabinet) meeting
which was appreciated by the former prime minister. "There is no
relationship between Kargil and the action of October 12," he
clarified.
He told a reporter that Nawaz Sharif could be tried because of
attempting to kill him in the air, loan defaults, corruption and
other issues, including what had been said against him (Nawaz) by
Mr Gujral.
The CE said that Pakistan would sign the CTBT only in the national
interest and that all the commitments made by the previous
government would be honoured.
Message to the nation: After the end of the news conference, the CE
said that he wanted to give a message to the nation:
"I want to warn the rich to stop sucking the blood of poor people.
I would not allow anyone to continue victimizing our poor masses".
He asked the people to stand up and become a dignified nation. "We
are a nuclear power of 140 people and will work hard to make
Pakistan prosperous and restore our respect and dignity."
He asked the nation to bear with him and not to get impatient with
the apparent slow pace of his government's actions and said that he
was faced with a formidable task and needed time to take right
decisions and actions so that things do not get derailed in haste.
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991031
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CE defines NSC functions: Governors given CMs' powers
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Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: The Chief Executive, General Pervez Musharraf,
on Saturday promulgated two more orders under the PCO, 1 of 1999.
The first order concerned the appointment of the National Security
Council (NSC) while the second defined the powers and functions of
the governors of the provinces.
The order concerning the governors states that "the governors will
have the same powers and functions as under the constitution,
including the functions and powers of a chief minister and such
other powers and functions which might be conferred upon him by the
CE."
The order about the NSC, which comes into force with immediate
effect, states that the chief executive shall call the NSC to meet
at such time and place as he may deem fit for deliberations.
Under the Order 6, the chief executive will be the chairman of the
NSC comprising the chief of the naval staff, the chief of the air
staff and such other members as might be appointed by the chief
executive.
The NSC will deliberate upon, discuss and tender advice to the CE
on such matters as the CE may deem expedient and necessary to refer
to the NSC in national interest.
The matters which the NSC will be discussing, inter alia, relate to
national security, foreign affairs, law and order, corruption,
accountability, recovery of bank loans, and public debt from
defaulters, finance, economic and social welfare, health,
education, Islamic ideology, human rights, protection of minorities
and women development so as to achieve the aims and objectives
enshrined in the Objective Resolution of 1949.
The decision taken by the CE on considering the deliberations of
the NSC shall be enforced and given effect in the manner as deemed
fit by the CE.
The CE may, in his discretion, substitute, change or add any member
of the NSC.
The members of the NSC will hold office during the pleasure of the
chief executive. The member who is not in the service of Pakistan
can resign by submitting his resignation to the chief executive.
The member who is in the service of Pakistan has no such option.
The Order No 6 under the PCO, 1999 further states that a member of
the NSC who is not in the service of Pakistan will have to take
oath before the president.
The order also provided the oath which the civilian members of the
NSC would have to take before the president. The oath is almost the
same which is prescribed for the ministers and the ministers of
state in the Constitution, except the addition that he/she would
abide by the PCO 1, 1999 issued by the chief executive on October
14. "Member will abide by the Proclamation of the Fourteenth day of
October 1999, and the Provisional Constitution Order No 1, of 1999
issued by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chief of
Army Staff and Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
on the Fourteenth day of the October, 1999 and all subsequent
orders issued by him."
GOVERNORS' POWERS: In another order issued on Saturday, called
Powers and Functions of the Governor Order (Order No 5, of 1999),
the chief executive provided: "The governors will have the same
powers and functions as under the constitution, including the
functions and powers of a chief minister and such other powers and
functions which might be conferred upon him by the CE."
The order, which comes into force at once, states that the governor
of the province may, whenever he considers it necessary , with the
approval of the chief executive or is so directed by the CE, call
upon the Armed Forces of Pakistan for such assistance and
performance of such functions, as deemed fit.
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991106
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Ehtesab net to include military, says Musharraf
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LONDON, Nov 5: The chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, said on
Friday that Nawaz Sharif might face charges of tax evasion and
defaulting on loans.
In separate interviews with the BBC, The Times and dpa, Gen
Musharraf said his drive against corruption might target the army,
saying they are "of the same stock" as corrupt individuals who face
arrest on Nov 17, the day after his deadline for the repayment of
loans.
Asked whether it was time to make a decision about Nawaz Sharif's
fate, he said: "Yes, absolutely. The legal process is on, I do
understand it is taking a little bit of time because the issue is
very complex.
"And 17th November, as you know, is the target on one of the issues
that he surely is involved in and that is loan defaulting or income
tax evasion ... these charges will shortly be there."
When the BBC reporter then asked whether this meant Nawaz Sharif
would be charged, he said: "Again it is with the accountability
group. But surely he is involved in these things."
The CE indicated there could be other arrests on corruption
charges.
"On the 17th I would immediately take action against selected top
cream of this list we are making and we initiate formal inquiries
and maybe put them in custody.
"We do not want them to escape at all so, therefore, if we think
anyone will leave the country we will have to do something about
it."
Asked if there was corruption in the army, he said: "Yes there
could be some, I don't deny it, we are from the same stock.
"It can't be ruled out and when I say accountability across the
board I really do mean the military is part of the horizontal
accountability process."
In his interview with The Times, Gen Musharraf said on Friday he
could not give a timeframe for a return to democracy until his
objective of reviving the economy had been achieved.
He said that a deadline would only generate political instability.
He said the military did not have any choice in staging its
bloodless coup on Oct 12 and ousting Nawaz Sharif's government.
"The army did not have any option but to step in to save the
country from civil war."
Gen Musharraf accused politicians of having made politics "a game
for rich people who misguided illiterate and poor people".
"It was a sham democracy where people did not have any say. I want
to establish a real democracy where the people are masters of their
own destiny," he said.
Speaking to dpa at the Army House, his official residence in
Rawalpindi, the CE appeared confident that he could successfully
implement his agenda of reform.
"The monitoring system I am going to institute through the army
will oversee the whole system, and support the district
administrations in exercising their authority."
Asked about the creation of a "true democratic dispensation with
people's participation" at the grass-roots level which he was
talking of, Gen Musharraf said: "That way good governance will be
ensured, the real authority will rest with the people and they will
be able to omit and commit good and bad."
He pointed to the allegations against Nawaz Sharif and his
predecessors since 1985 which range from the abuse of power to
corruption. Asked about the nature of the charges being levelled
against the deposed premier, he would only say that he would not
"show his vindictiveness" when the trial begins. He would also not
say when the trial would begin.
Question as to why he thought the international reaction to the
coup was mild, he said, "it is because we did not impose
conventional martial law, the constitution has only been held in
abeyance, but the judiciary is functioning and the press is free."
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991103
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CE briefs EU mission on causes of takeover
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Hasan Akhtar
ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: The chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, on
Tuesday informed the special envoy of the European Union of the
"extraordinary circumstances" that necessitated the change of
government in Pakistan, and emphasized the importance Pakistan
attached to the EU which was its largest economic partner.
Jukka Valtasaari, Finland's secretary of state in the foreign
ministry, was here as the head of a factfinding mission the EU
foreign ministers decided to send in their meeting on Oct 16,
threatening to cut off aid if democracy were not restored within a
month by the military regime. Mr Valtasaari said the question of
sanctions, if considered, could be decided by the foreign ministers
when they met later this month.
Gen Musharraf assured him that Pakistan was keen to strengthen
relations with the EU. He said he had set an agenda and priorities
for the government and explained that the change of government was
aimed at rebuilding institutions and introducing electoral reforms
to "promote genuine democracy consistent with the aspirations of
the Pakistani people," according to an official press statement
issued here on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the EU envoy "stated that the visit had
provided him with a valuable opportunity for a better understanding
of the situation" in Pakistan.
"He had particularly noted that the people desired good
governance, elimination of mismanagement and corruption and true
democracy."
The envoyappreciated Pakistan's interest in augmenting relations
with the EU and "stressed the desire of the EU to continue to
constructively engage with Pakistan and help the country at this
important juncture".
Speaking to reporters later, Mr Valtasaari said his mission had
been unable to get a timetable for a return to democracy from the
new rulers. He said that was what the EU wanted for continuing its
aid.
The EU mission which has completed its assignment here, will
present its findings and recommendations to a meeting of the EU
foreign ministers on Nov 15 and 16.
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991103
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Trade bodies seek incentives to clear dues
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Shaukat Ali
LAHORE, Nov 2: A marathon session of top business bodies here on
Tuesday asked military authorities to take to task bankers who had
approved loans for industrialists without adequate collateral.
Presided over by the President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of
Commerce and Industry Fazal-ur-Rehman Dittu, the meeting pleaded
with the government that defaulters of loans up to Rs100 million
should be given another chance to clear their outstanding amounts
by providing them with facilities like the ones given in a previous
incentive scheme of the State bank of Pakistan.
Representatives of leading trade bodies from Punjab, NWFP and Azad
Jammu and Kashmir, besides a number of federation's former
presidents including Ilyas Ahmed Bilour and Iftikhar Ali Malik were
also present.
Under an arid atmosphere in which most business tycoons visibly
looked anxious about the economic policies of the new faces in
Islamabad, the meeting maintained that the businessmen whose loan
cases were pending in courts of law should not be termed as
defaulters. It said the best way to wriggle out of the present mess
was to set up a high level committee, duly represented by FPCCI as
well, to tackle issues like loan default.
Talking to reporters after the meeting Dittu said thegovernment
should frame such realistic economic policies as to tear down the
present uncertainty shrouding country's economic future.
He welcomed the Chief Executive's gesture for undertaking a stern
accountability of businessmen who misappropriated bank loans and
added that top 100 defaulters mentioned by SBP governor be first
taken to task for recovery of stuck up loans.
He said the business community strongly felt that there was an
urgent need to radically reshuffle the present policy on the
general sales tax.
He said the meeting had given a long sight to this issue and
noticed that the way GST issue was being waged by the previous
government, economic betterment was almost not possible.
He said there was no point in maligning names of businessmen who
had obtained loans just in accordance with the prudential
regulations of the central bank. Dittu argued that a loan default
case must be studied in the light of all factors which had led to
non-payment of the credit including inconsistent economic policies
of subsequent governments and the long recession the world over.
He informed reporters that a meeting of a cross section of business
representatives from Sindh and Balochistan would be held in Karachi
on Nov 8 and seek proposals for the early recovery of the economy.
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991031
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US, Russia want civilian rule in Pakistan
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WASHINGTON, Oct 30: The United States and Russia on Friday issued a
joint call for Pakistan to return to civilian rule.
In a joint statement issued after three days of high-level meetings
here between US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, Karl
Inderfurth, and Russian deputy foreign minister Grigoriy, the two
countries said peace and stability in South Asia would be enhanced
by civilian rule in Islamabad.
"They encouraged the military authorities in Pakistan to take
decisive steps to return the country to civilian, democratic and
constitutional government including the announcement of a
timetable," the statement said.
The statement urged Pakistan and India to resolve their dispute
over Kashmir.
"The two sides agreed on the importance of India and Pakistan
overcoming their legacy of confrontation and called on both sides
to resume their political dialogue at the earliest opportunity,"
the statement said.
It welcomed Gen Musharraf's decision to withdraw some Pakistan
troops from the international border with India and noted
Washington's and Moscow's desire to see that reduction also occur
on the Line of Control"
"They expressed hope that similar measures would be taken to reduce
tensions along the Line of Control in Kashmir," the statement
said.-AFP
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991106
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US following wait-and-see policy: Milam
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ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: American ambassador to Pakistan William B. Milam
on Friday said the US had adopted a "watch and wait" policy towards
the change in Pakistan as it was not still aware what would be the
overall policies of the new administration.
He was talking to reporters after inaugurating a two-day 4th
American Studies Conference organized by the area study centre for
Africa, North and South America, Quaid-i-Azam University, here on
Friday.
Referring to the announcement of the federal cabinet, he said the
inclusion of people from civil society in it was a good thing.
Milam said the new government was framing itself so US was waiting
to see what policies it would adopt.
When asked if President Clinton would be visiting Pakistan during
his forthcoming visit to South Asia, he said no final decision had
so far been taken in this regard.
To a question on US sanctions, he said the senate had requested
President Clinton to delay lifting of sanctions against Pakistan.
He said given the senate request the US executive was in a
"dilemma."
To a question on the CTBT, he said the US would continue to adhere
to it even after senate's rejection to ratify the treaty.
Earlier in his inaugural speech on the occasion on 'Islam and
America,' Milam said if US was against violence and terrorism and
those few organizations sponsoring it, which did not mean that "we
are hostile to all Islamic organizations."
He said the US was enjoying very good relations with Saudi Arabia,
UAE, and other Muslim countries, including Pakistan.
He said the US was certainly not anti-Islam and added that 7
million Muslims were practising their faith in America. There were
1002 mosques across the country, he added.
"The negative and erroneous propaganda" was damaging Pakistan-US
relations, said the ambassador. It was a misconception that US was
posing a "major threat" to Islam, he added.-APP
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991106
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CE reassures press of freedom
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Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: The chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, on
Friday reiterated his commitment that the press would be free and
that he would not backtrack on this promise.
This he said during a two-hour meeting with the members of the
executive committee of All Pakistan Newspaper Society.
He asked the press to write about the military government but after
confirmation and keeping in mind the version of the other side.
Flanked by Gen Aziz, CGS, and ISPR director-general Brigadier
Rashid Qureshi, the chief executive said a monitoring system was
being evolved at the military level that would monitor the
performance of the government.
He suggested that the newspapers highlight the excesses of
bureaucracy and police which, he said, would serve as a monitoring
system.
Asking the mediamen and people to show patience as the country was
passing through a crisis, he said he would live up to his words. He
also advised the representatives of the press industry to evolve a
mechanism of check and balances.
When asked by an editor whether the information ministry was being
abolished, he said it was one of the points which the military
authorities were considering.
Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, president of the APNS, and Secretary-General
Arshad Zuberi apprised the chief executive of the problems being
faced by the newspaper industry.
He was also briefed about the issue of advertising dues, Freedom of
Information Act, wage board, press commission and newsprint.
Earlier, the APNS office-bearers called on Finance Minister-
designate Shaukat Aziz and briefed him about the problems the
industry was facing with particular reference to the sales tax and
income tax.
APP adds: In response to the problems raised by Mr Rehman, Gen
Musharraf said that all their genuine problems would be given due
attention.
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991105
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Delhi seeks postponement of SAARC summit
-------------------------------------------------------------------
KATHMANDU, Nov 4: India has asked Nepal to postpone the proposed
11th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
summit because of the military takeover in Pakistan, officials said
on Thursday.
Nepal's state run radio said the Nepalese foreign ministry "has
received a request from India in black and white for deferring the
date of the proposed SAARC summit scheduled for Nov 26-28 in
Kathmandu". India has sent a similar letter to current SAARC
chairperson and Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the
radio announcement said.
Earlier India had verbally asked Nepal that the summit be
postponed. Nepal had insisted that a written request should be made
by India.
A foreign ministry source said despite the situation in Pakistan
"the Nepalese govt is going ahead with the full-scale preparation
to hold the 11th SAARC summit in Kathmandu between Nov 26 & 28".
Nepalese Foreign Minister Ram Sharan Mahat planned to fly to Thimpu
to deliver an invitation to the summit from Nepalese Prime Minister
and the prospective chairman of SAARC Krishna Prasad Bhattarai to
the Bhutanese head of government, but had to delay his flight after
a plane cancellation.
After receiving India's written request SAARC and Nepal are
expected to make a formal announcement either Friday or after the
return of the Nepalese foreign minister from Thimpu, an official
source said.-AFP
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991104
-------------------------------------------------------------------
US says Pakistan training militants
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Nov 3: A senior US official responsible for counter-
terrorism on Tuesday directly accused Pakistan of supporting
training of militant groups in Afghanistan as well as providing
"material support"
to some of the Kashmiri militants. "There are numerous Kashmiri
separatist groups and sectarian groups involved in terrorism which
use Pakistan as a base...We have repeatedly asked Islamabad to end
support of terrorist training in Afghanistan," Michael Sheehan,
State Department's coordinator for counter-terrorism, told a Senate
Foreign Relations sub-committee. The sub-committee hearing was
called and presided over by Senator Sam Brownback and the list of
experts who testified included a former CIA officer in Pakistan
Milt Bearden, president of Stimson Centre Michael Krepon, John
Hopkins University Central Asia Institute chairman Dr Fredrick
Starr and a Pakistani- American businessman and columnist Mansoor
Ijaz.
Mr Sheehan recently visited India to coordinate US-Indian responses
to terrorist threats but when asked whether he would also visit
Pakistan soon, he said: "Hopefully." "Pakistan has frequently
acknowledged what it calls moral and diplomatic support for
militants in Kashmir who employ violence and terrorism against
Indian interests. We have continuing reports of Pakistani material
support for some of these militants," Mr Sheehan said.
He named several Pakistan-based militant Islamic groups including
Lashkar Taiba, Harkatul Jehad Islami and Hizbul Mujahideen, which,
he said, "operate freely in Pakistan and support terrorist attacks
in Kashmir."
Asked by Indian and Pakistani journalists after his hearing
whether he found any change in the policy after the overthrow of
the Nawaz government, Mr Sheehan said: "We are still waiting for
their responses and it is too early to judge whether there is any
change." When a correspondent pointed out whether it was "business
as usual" with the military government, he crisply said "no" but
added: "We hope to work with them on all these issues."
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991104
-------------------------------------------------------------------
C'wealth chief softens stance on Pakistan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON, Nov 3: Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku
acknowledged on Wednesday that last month's military takeover in
Pakistan was "not completely unfounded" even though it prompted the
Asian state's suspension from his organisation.
Presenting his final report ahead of a summit of the 54-member
organisation in South Africa next week, Anyaoku said the
Commonwealth's decision to suspend Pakistan was based on the
principle that it was the right of the people of any country to
choose their government.
"The fact that you had a military takeover in Pakistan infringed
that rule," he told reporters and diplomats at the organisation's
London headquarters.
He said that after a mission to Pakistan last week led by Canadian
Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, the Commonwealth was now engaged
with Pakistan in seeing how democracy could be restored speedily.
The Commonwealth's readiness to work with Pakistan's General Pervez
Musharraf was based on recognition that the takeover, while "not to
be tolerated, was not completely unfounded on the basis of the mood
of the country," Anyaoku said.
He said the Commonwealth was in discussions with Musharraf on how
to give Pakistanis the right to choose their government.
Asked if Pakistan's new ruler was taking notice of Commonwealth
pressure, Anyaoku replied "Oh yes." An aide to the Secretary-
General privately described the Pakistani ruler as "a man looking
for answers".
Anyaoku, who steps down next March after 10 years in the job,
indicated he was frustrated by the way the Pakistan military
takeover had marred the organisation's drive for more democracy.
Until the Oct 12 military action, none of the Commonwealth's 54
countries was under military or one-party rule, compared with nine
a decade ago, Anyaoku said.
Anyaoku said the Nov 12-15 heads of government meeting (CHOGM) in
Durban would discuss new guidelines for the work of the
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, the eight-nation body which
suspended Pakistan.-Reuters
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991104
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ehtesab: Asif, Benazir top list of non-PML leaders
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashraf Mumtaz
LAHORE, Nov 3: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali
Zardari, former chief ministers Manzoor Wattoo, Arif Nakai, Liaquat
Jatoi, Syed Abdullah Shah, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Aftab Ahmed Khan
Sherpao, Zulfikar Magsi,
and ministers Gen Naseerullah Babar, Makhdoom Amin Faheem and Azam
Hoti are prominent among the non-PML leaders who are going to face
accountability.
A large number of former ministers and bureaucrats will also have
to face the music on account of alleged misdeeds in various
periods.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) set up by the military
government with a serving general as its head is taking up all
cases pending against them with what until recently was called
Ehtesab Bureau.
As for the PML leaders, cases against a number of them are already
pending and new ones are also being prepared on charges of their
involvement in corrupt practices, misuse of powers and others.
One allegation against Ms Bhutto, her husband Asif Zardari and
former minister Mir Baz Mohammad Khan Khetran is that they
committed serious irregularities while importing 200 falcons.
Another allegation against Mr Zardari, Mr Fauzi Ali Kazmi and ex-
chief customs collector Khalid Ahmed is that they caused loss of
billions of rupees to the Habib Bank and the National Bank of
Pakistan.
A case against Ms Bhutto, Hussain Haqqani, Javed Pasha and others
is that they illegally granted licence for FM Radio and Wireless
Cable TV Network.
The Ehtesab Bureau had prepared its report on the two issues but it
was returned to it for reconsideration.
There are several other cases against the PPP chairperson and her
husband, who is already in jail in connection with various cases.
There are over 20 cases against former Sindh chief minister Liaquat
Jatoi, which are being taken up by the new government. Corruption
and misuse of power is the common ground for these cases.
Of the several cases against former Punjab chief minister Manzoor
Wattoo, one is that he made money out of an aircraft deal.
Mr Wattoo and another former chief minister Arif Nakai are also
accused of having misused their discretionary funds and illegally
allotted plots to their favourites.
Ex-NWFP chief minister Aftab Sherpao is accused of unauthorised
allotment of 98 plots in Hyatabad, Peshawar, and having imported
smuggled Afghan timber.
As many as 59 cases are pending against ex-Senators, MNAs andMPAs
of NWFP. An intelligence agency has also provided information
against various legislators for accountability.
Former Balochistan chief minister Zulfikar Magsi is accused of
involvement in illegal import of Iranian oil through Taftan Oil
Company. Another allegation against him is that he and his wife
maintain an account in a foreign country. A number of cases of
corruption, misuse of authority, allotment of lands are also being
referred to the relevant authorities against other people.
Ex-speaker Syed Yousaf Reza Gilani allegedly committed gross
irregularities while using his official authority.
Former minister Anwar Saifullah Khan and officials of the ministry
of petroleum and natural resources are accused of involvement in
corrupt practices in the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation.
A number of other complaints are also pending against him.
According to informed sources, former provincial ministers Malik
Mushtaq Awan and Nazim Husain Shah are also to be proceeded against
in various cases.
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991101
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Special courts to try cases of accountability
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: The military government is planning major
amendments to the Ehtesab Act to plug the loopholes that had
allowed an embezzler, defaulter or a corrupt to escape the arm of
law, it is learnt.
However, according to a reliable source, the accountability cases
would continue to be placed before the civilian court. "There will
be no military courts to try the defaulters and the corrupt,
including corrupt politicians," the source said.
It further said that special courts would be set up, as envisaged
in the Constitution, to ensure prompt disposal of accountability
cases. The Supreme Court and the high courts would be asked to
monitor the performance of these special courts so that speedy
justice could be ensured, it added.
The higher judiciary would be requested to appoint the best
possible judges as presiding officers of these special courts. Lt-
Gen Mohammad Amjad Hussain, who had been asked to suggest
amendments to the Ehtesab Act, was busy preparing the draft, the
source said.
It said that the military leadership had decided that as per demand
of the people of Pakistan, the plunderers of national wealth should
be taken to task in the shortest possible time.
The accused, it is said, would, however, be given the right to
defend himself as envisaged in the Constitution.
"We want to ensure that the legal lacunas that help the corrupt to
escape should be removed," the source said.
To avoid uncalled for delays in the disposal of accountability
references, he said, an amendment was being introduced so that the
defendant must appear before the court once the summon was served
on him/her. "Unlike past they will not find loose ends anymore,"
the source said.
Besides targeting corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, the military
leadership had also decided to attack the "life style of
businessmen."
Those who had earned their wealth through legal means would not be
touched but the rest would have to cough up the looted money.
The source said that a very large number of businessmen had got
hundreds of millions from banks but they either got them written
off or refused to re-pay them by showing losses to their so-called
registered companies.
"On the contrary the life-style of these businessmen is improving
and new model Mercedeze cars are being used by them," the source
said and added, "such people now can't have the protection of law."
===================================================================
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
991105
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Increase in POL prices inevitable: Dr Gulfraz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, Nov 4: Federal Secretary for Petroleum Dr. Gulfraz Ahmad
has said that any adjustment in prices of petroleum products would
have minimum impact on the common man.
He was talking to newsmen after inauguration of PSO operated new
vision station here, Thursday.
The Petroleum Secretary said that upward movement in petroleum
prices was inevitable following the surging prices in the
international market.
He, however, assured that huge escalation at the international
market would not be passed on to the consumers adding that slight
adjustment was however, inevitable.
Dr. Gulfraz said the Ministry has offered the people, associated
with petroleum industry, to exploit maximum the petroleum resources
and make short, medium and long term planning for economic revival.
He said Petroleum Ministry has been offering the freedom of action
and support to exploit impactive possibilities to be identified by
petroleum industry for short, medium and long term plans.
In the Petroleum Ministry, he said, a system has been devised to
monitor their programmes and to remove bottlenecks. He said if
required, a task force would be set up to interact with other
ministries or government departments to facilitate the industry
people to achieve their targets.
This government-industry partnership, he said would help in
increasing oil production to optimum level from existing fields and
develop those fields which are not producing in the shortest
possible time. Efforts would be made to put on production maximum
fields of natural gas to reduce the import of fuel oil.
In this regard, he had a meeting with heads of petroleum industry
and formulated a ten point "common agenda", plan of action he said.
To a question about gas load-shedding for industrial consumption
during winter season, Dr. Gulfaraz Ahmad said the ministry has
evolved a 69 days short term agenda to cope with the situation.
He said there will be an increase of 2000 MCF gas production next
month. He expressed the hope that there would be minimum industries
came under load management programme during the this winter.
Earlier in his inaugural speech Dr Gulfaraz said to ensure
competitiveness in the sale of petroleum products, the Ministry has
granted retail licenses to Attock Petroleum Limited and PARCO. He
said it is "very encouraging " that more and more companies are
entering in the retail sale business. He said that international
companies would be welcomed in petroleum exploration and retails
sale business.-APP
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991103
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SBP unfreezes politicians' FC accounts
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim
KARACHI, Nov 2: The State Bank has announced unfreezing of the
foreign currency accounts of the politicians on certain conditions,
one of which is that the withdrawals from these accounts would be
allowed in rupee and not in foreign currencies. The accounts of
those politicians who are bank-defaulters to any extent would
continue to remain frozen.
Last week the SBP had allowed conditional unfreezing of the local
currency accounts of the politicians.
The SBP said on Tuesday that the foreign currency accounts of the
politicians would be operative exclusively for the purposes for
which their rupee accounts were unfrozen on Oct 27. In other words
the foreign currency accounts of the politicians are being revived
to enable them to repay or adjust their bank loans; clear utility
bills and taxes and pay salary to their employees, if any.
The SBP further said the amount withdrawn from the foreign currency
accounts would be converted into rupees at the prevailing inter-
bank exchange rates. That is the politicians would not be able to
withdraw foreign exchange from their foreign currency accounts even
after their revival. They would rather get the rupee equivalent of
the withdrawals at the inter-bank rate which currently ranges
between Rs51.90-Rs51.95 per US dollar.
Senior bankers say the foreign currency accounts of only those
politicians would be unfrozen who are neither bank defaulters on
any account nor do their names appear in the reports of the SBP
Credit Information Bureau.
Bankers say whereas the banks compile lists of all defaulters the
SBP Bureau compiles the list of only those whose stuck-up loans
total Rs0.5 million or above. "This means that if a politician is a
defaulter - whether big or small - his foreign currency account
would not be unfrozen," explained a banker.
Bankers well-versed with the previous SBP instructions on the
unfreezing of rupee accounts of the politicians say the foreign
currency accounts of the politicians would be operational for these
purposes:
(i) repayment or adjustment of outstanding loan liabilities to the
bank and other financial institutions;
(ii) payment of utility bills or any other legitimate dues or taxes
payable to the government or its agencies and
(iii) meeting salary needs of trading or industrial concerns of the
account holders - if there are any.
On Oct 15, the SBP had frozen local and foreign currency accounts
of hundreds of notable politicians and legislators and their
spouses. This was part of a set of steps taken to prevent flight of
capital in the wake of the Oct 12 military take- over.
The other measures included a 10-day ban on trading in open foreign
exchange market; restriction put on remitting foreign exchange
abroad through bank draft and suspension of forward buying and
selling of foreign exchange by importers and exporters in the
inter-bank market. Whereas other restrictions have been lifted, the
ban on outward remittance of foreign exchange through bank draft
and electronic transfer remains in force. But senior bankers expect
that this restriction may also be lifted shortly.
Bankers say they are supposed to furnish a fortnightly report to
the SBP disclosing details about the withdrawals from the unfrozen
foreign currency accounts.
They say the SBP teams may carry out random inspection of banks to
ensure that they are meeting the conditions set for the revival of
the bank accounts of the politicians.
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991103
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IT deduction on savings profit stayed
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
LAHORE, Nov 2: The Lahore High Court restrained the federal
government and the National Savings Directorate on Tuesday from
deducting 10 per cent income tax on profit or interest accruing
from the national savings certificates purchased by the 12
petitioners who approached it before Sept 3.
Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum, who granted the stay, also directed
the federal government to submit its reply to the petitioners'
claim by Nov 18. The restraint order was passed on an application
moved in the petition for interim relief.
The petitioners submitted through Advocate Nasira Javed Iqbal that
they purchased the three-year special savings certificates by
accepting the National Savings offer of 16 per cent per annum
profit for two and half a years and 18 per cent profit for the last
six months. Under the contract, no tax except zakat was leviable on
the certificates or on profit from them. The profit was payable
biannually.
On May 14 this year, the federal government announced that the
special savings certificates purchased after that date would carry
a profit of Rs 14 (instead of 16) per cent for two years and a half
and of 16 (instead of 18) per cent for the last six months. The
notification curtailing the rate of profit was, however,
prospective in its operation.
On Sept 3, the government went a step further and announced by
another notification that all special and defence savings
certificates would be liable to a deduction of 10 per cent
income/withholding tax irrespective of their date of purchase. The
deduction was applicable to all amounts paid as profit after Sept
3. The confiscatory imposition had the effect of further curtailing
the rate of profit by 2 per cent per annum.
The petitioners said they had invested their life times savings and
retirement benefits in the certificates to earn a respectable
living at the fag end of their life. The government measures have
effectively deprived them of a sizable part of their income.
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991106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Govt may allow private sector to import wheat
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: The federal government is likely to allow wheat
import by private sector to avoid expected shortage of the
commodity in the coming months in the country.
Ousted government of Nawaz Sharif had banned wheat import by
private sector few months back following reports of import of
substandard wheat into Pakistan at cheap rates.
Official sources in the ministry of finance told Dawn here on
Friday that now the decision to lift the ban is expected to be
taken in the light of a shocking disclosure made by Statistic
Division that final wheat production estimate for year 1998-99
stand at 17.854 million tons against earlier projected 18.6 million
tons.
The government, sources added, want to allow private sector to
import wheat to meet this unexpected shortage because it lacks
required US $ at the moment.
Official sources while quoting fresh statement showing province
wise break-up of final production estimate of wheat crop for 1998-
99 disclosed that in Punjab final production has been calculated at
13212 thousands tons, in Sindh, 2675.1 thousand tons, NWFP 1221.8
thousands tons and Balochistan 744.8 thousand tons. Thus, total
production comes to 17.8 million tons.
Sources said ministry of finance has pointed out that revised
production figures demonstrate that previous year wheat crop was
less by 5.5 per cent against target of 19 million tons.
Official sources added the ministry of finance has taken up this
alarming issue with the new management of the ministry of food,
agriculture and livestock to avoid food shortage in the country.
Sources said officials of M/O Finance while giving details of wheat
shortage have pointed out to agriculture ministry that Federal
Commission on Agriculture (FCA) last year initially had proposed a
target of 20 million tons for 19998-99. But, ministry officials
added that on the insistence of governments of the Punjab and
Sindh, production target was finally fixed at 19 million tons.
Sources quoted the finance ministry as saying that just after wheat
harvesting was over in the country, the figures of 18.6 and 19
million tons were quoted by the then minister of food, agriculture
and livestock in the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) as well
as on the floor of the National Assembly which seriously led to
unrealistic decisions.
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991106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stocks suffer fresh fractional decline
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 5: Stocks on Friday suffered fresh fractional decline
on a wide front as jobbers and sundry speculators took profits at
the higher levels owing partly to weekend considerations.
There was a relative quiet in the rings as both bears and bulls
maintained a near-status quo ahead of finance minister Shaukat Aziz
maiden visit to the Karachi Stock Exchange on next Thursday.
The KSE 100-share index, which holding on well above psychological
barrier of 1,200 points finally gave in and was last quoted at
1,193.54 as compared to 1,202.21 a day earlier, reflecting the
weakness of leading base shares including Hub-Power and PTCL.
The steep decline in the turnover figure below 100m shares
demonstrates the presence of some new elements in stock trading and
the following lull.
'It was not, however, a lull before the storm but investors just
took stock of their positions in an overbought market, although it
was not matched by heavy selling as was reflected by a sharp
decline in the trading volume', a member of the KSE Rajabali
Hussain said.
They said the major change in the trading pattern after a week of
hectic activity was reflective of the fact that those who have
'links above' may have found some cue to the things to come
possibly by the next week.
'This perception was reinforced by reports that finance minister
Shaukat Aziz is expected visit the KSE on next Thursday to have an
overview of the performance of the capital market could signal a
major change in the corporate scenario leading eventually to viable
market', said a leading stock analyst Muhammad Ashraf.
There is a loud whispering in the rings that leading stock brokers
are in a mood to present a bull market to the new finance minister
when he visits the KSE next Thursday to demonstrate their
confidence in his investment-friendly policies and bold steps, an
other stock analyst Faisal Abbas was of the view.
Energy shares should have come in for active support at the lower
level on news of an increase in petroleum prices but instead
attracted selling and fell under the lead of pivotals such as Shell
Pakistan but PSO managed to look up modestly and so did textile
shares owing to steep decline in cotton prices after opting for
free market economy doing away with fixed lint cotton prices.
The market resistance to larger decline was led by some low-priced
textile shares under the lead of Blessed Textiles, Faisal Spinning,
Samin Textiles, Sapphire Fibre and H.M.Ismail Textiles, rising by
one rupee to Rs5.75.
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991106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mutual funds trading at discounts
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dilawar Hussain
KARACHI, Nov 5: All thirteen private sector closed-end Mutual Funds
quoted on the stock market, were trading at varying discounts to
their Net Asset Value (NAV) at end-September, a statement released
by the Mutual Funds Association of Pakistan (Mufap) on Oct 29
disclosed.
The 10-rupee mutual fund certificate in Confidence Mutual Fund
sported the highest NAV of Rs 12.28 but its market price stood at
less than a half of that at Rs 6.00.
BSJS Balanced Fund followed closely with NAV at Rs 12.12 and the
market price at Rs 4. Security Stock Fund was trading at Rs 3.65
per certificate against its NAV of Rs 11.27.
Only the quoted value of Al-Meezan Mutual Fund at Rs 10 was noted
to be close to its NAV of Rs 10.06.
Rest of the private sector Mutual Funds with their respective NAV
and market price were: Asian Stock Fund Rs 4.79 and Rs 2.00;
Dominion Stock Fund Rs 3.68 and Re 0.90; Golden Arrow Rs 3.94 and
Rs 1.05; KASB Premier Fund Rs 6.73 and Rs3.00; Prudential Stock
Fund Rs 3.60 and Rs1.55; Safeway Mutual Fund Rs 2.75 and Rs 1.50.
Certificate in First Capital Mutual Fund carried the market price
of Rs 1.35; Growth Mutual Fund Re 0.60 and Tri-Star Mutual Fund Re
1.00. All three had not submitted their NAV statement to the
Modaraba Association of Pakistan.
Analysts affirm that the Mutual Fund industry has yet to come out
of the woods. Together with the Modarabas, the Mutual Funds have
taken severe beating during the protracted stock market slump of
the past few years.
One obvious reason that the 13 private sector Mutual Funds had
continued to fare badly was due to their poor entry points into the
market, analysts say. Those funds who entered the market during the
bull run of 1994 e.g. the Tristar Mutual Fund and the Asian Stocks
Fund, had accumulated very expensive portfolio mixes.
Moreover, in most of the private sector mutual funds, professional
expertise in equity research and portfolio management had generally
been lacking, resulting in low quality portfolio compositions. Such
Funds were known to have taken huge stakes in such laggards as the
textile spinning and modaraba sectors, analysts say.
Earlier, a weekly statement released by the state-owned Investment
Corporation of Pakistan (ICP) showed that at Oct 25, market price
of all its twenty-six mutual funds had also plunged to be quoted at
a discount to their Net Asset Value (NAV).
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991106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
CBR pays 32 per cent more refunds
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: The Central Board of Revenue paid out 32 per cent
more refunds to the businessmen in the first four months of 1999-
2000 as compared to the same period in 1998-99.
The refunds paid out this year were of Rs 16.4 billion while last
year the refund amount was Rs 11.2 billion.
Out of a total gross collection of Rs 80.9bn last year in July-
October, the CBR had paid Rs 11.2bn (13.84%), while this year, Rs
16.4bn refunds were paid out of gross collection of Rs 114.4bn
(14.3%).
The four wings of the CBR paid out refunds in July-Oct 1999-2000 as
follows: direct taxes Rs 2.98 billion out of gross Rs 31.6 billion;
sales tax Rs 7.17 billion out of gross Rs 37.2 billion; Central
Excise Duty Rs 10 million out of gross Rs 17.5 billion; and Customs
Duty Rs 6.31 billion out of gross Rs 28 billion.
In October this year, the refund repayments have been as follows:
direct taxes nil out of total collection of Rs 7.3 billion; sales
tax Rs 1.6 billion out of gross collection of Rs 10.28 billion;
Central Excise Duty Rs 2 million out of gross Rs 4.71 billion; and
Customs Duty Rs 1.54 billion out of gross Rs 6.18 billion.
The import stage refunds paid by the Sales Tax department by the
end of October 1999, out of gross Rs 19.49 billion, were Rs 43
million (in October Rs 14 million out of gross Rs 5.23 billion),
while the domestically refunds by end October, out of gross Rs
17.71 billion, were Rs 7.13 billion (in October Rs 1.6 billion out
of gross Rs 4.71 billion).
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991106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tribunal refuses to delay Hubco case
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: A London based international arbitration tribunal
has rejected Wapda's plea to delay a case filed by one of the major
shareholders of Hubco for not implementing Power Purchase Agreement
(PPA).
Informed sources told Dawn that Wapda's lawyers had on Thursday
approached the International Arbitration Tribunal, set up on the
request of the International Chamber of Commerce, and pleaded for
delaying the hearing of the case filed by the Entergy Company of
the United States.
Entergy is one of the claimants in the arbitration and since it is
US based, Pakistani law do not apply on it as it applies on the Hub
Power Company (Hubco) of Pakistan. Entergy has sought what was
termed a "relief" in its differences with Water and Power
Development Authority (Wapda) from the tribunal.
Sources said that Entergy asked the tribunal to force Wapda to get
the PPA implemented so as to end the two year long row over tariff.
The issue was first taken to the tribunal in July last.
Meanwhile, it has also been learnt that Hubco has expressed its
willingness to undertake fresh negotiations with the military
government to resolve the tariff and other administrative matters
with Wapda.
Sources said that Minister for Finance Shaukat Aziz was expected to
call on Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday to
brief him about the IPPs problem with special reference to Hubco.
Mr. Aziz is said to have told his officials in the ministry of
finance that the unresolved issue of IPPs was a stumbling block to
attract foreign investment in Pakistan.
Sources said that Hubco has also expressed its willingness to cut
its power tariff beyond 0.75 per cent which was earlier offered to
the previous government. Hubco termed it a "fallacy" that it was
not ready to change the contract signed with Wapda. It said there
were so many ways to resolve the problem, provided people at the
helm of affairs stop suspecting the integrity of the company.
The company has conveyed to the relevant official quarters that the
reputation of Hubco was badly damaged by the PML government which
had repeatedly kept hurling at it the allegations of corruption.
"We are ready to look into the whole tariff issue but first restore
our integrity. We do not know why have they painted us bad people",
one of the senior officials of Hubco was quoted as having said to
quarters close to army. "Let us sit in good faith and remove the
FIA people from the Hubco premises", he said adding that FIA has
not been removed from the Hubco offices despite repeated assurances
by former minister for finance and commerce Ishaq Dar.
Sources said that Hubco has also conveyed to the military
government that had it been involved in corrupt practices or got
its power plant commissioned by paying kickbacks to Ms Benazir
Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, something concrete would have come to
light and presented in courts as proof against the company.
Moreover, they were told that one of the reputed chartered
accountant firms - M/s Furgoson had failed to pin point any
financial irregularity in the accounts of Hubco during the last one
year. No report has been prepared by Furgoson against Hubco.
Moreover, the senior officials of Hubco still have to keep bail
papers 24 hours with them to avoid their arrest or harassment both
by the police and the FIA.
Moreover, Hubco believed that 18pc rate of profit was reasonable to
charge keeping in view many companies including Enercon which was
charging over 20pc rate of return on their investment in Pakistan.
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991105
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Fresh assessment of farm tax potential likely
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov 4: The military government has decided to
substantially widen the tax base by stretching the General Sales
Tax (GST) on the services sector.
Official sources told Dawn here on Thursday that a decision has
been taken to urgently increase the number of tax-payers, besides
recovering the General Sales Tax (GST) which has been imposed
across the board on Wednesday. This 15 per cent GST will now be
recovered from professionals as well including medical doctors,
chartered accountants, consultants, lawyers etc.
The PML government could not impose GST on the services sector and
the issue was left for the next financial year. "But now the
services sector will have to pay this GST", a source said.
According to Economic Survey for 1998-1999, services sector
accounted for 49 per cent of total economy of Pakistan.
Sources said that concerned authorities have been directed to
achieve at all cost the revised upward revenue collection target of
Rs 380 billion during 1999-2000.
The military rulers have been told that without meeting the IMF
conditionalities and its reform programme, Pakistan would not get
the next tranche of 280 million dollars, out of 1.6 billion dollar
ESAF/EFF.
The IMF officials have said that tax enforcement should be
strengthened with a view to increasing the number of tax-payers
from the existing 1.5 million to about 2 million before the end of
the current financial year.
Similarly, the decision was taken to recover about Rs 3 billion as
part of the tax on agriculture income during the current financial
year. "Also a decision has been taken to assess afresh the real
potential of tax on agriculture income which could initially be in
the range of Rs 12 to 15 billion annually", a source said.
He said that minister for finance and commerce Shaukat Aziz would
soon be convening a high-level meeting to discuss proposals for
increasing revenues and enhancing tax on agriculture income.
Both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have
been calling upon the previous governments to effectively tax the
landed gentry in Pakistan. But no success could be achieved as
every time these government dragged their feet.
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991104
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Tax exemption demanded for senior citizens
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent
SUKKUR, Nov 3: President Sukkur Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Khalid Mehmood Khan, in a press statement on Tuesday demanded that
the federal government should announce tax exemption for persons
above the age of 65 years who were paying taxes regularly.
This demand Khan made in his telegrams to the then finance minister
and chairman Central Board of Revenue against withdrawal of 50 per
cent rebate allowed to senior citizens aged 65 years or above
provided under clause (IV) of provision (b) para 1 of the first
schedule to Income Tax Ordinance 1979 under USAS.
He said this decision was quite against the provisions of Income
Tax Ordinance and Act and hence unfair and unjustified.
He, therefore, urged the newly appointed finance minister, Mr
Shaukat Aziz to restore this rebate facilities to senior citizens
under universal self-assessment scheme also as provided in Income
Tax Ordinance 1979.
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991101
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ADB allocates Rs0.35m for farm growth
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned
$350,000 for the promotion of agriculture growth in Pakistan
through policy and institutional reforms.
This was disclosed during a meeting of the Central Development
Working Party (CDWP) here.
Official sources said the participants of the meeting were told by
the secretary food, agriculture and livestock, Dr Zafar Altaf, that
the ADB fund would also be used for the execution of a project
"Agricultural Sector Strategy Studies."
The project will also assist government in developing a master plan
for farm sector (2000-2010) which will form the basis for policy
reforms and in developing a new farm sector strategy.
This study project will also support selective activities of the
private sector, NGOs and self help farmers and other groups.
To a question, sources said the cost of conducting the study had
been estimated at $250,000 (ADB grant for Pakistan) and
implementation of recommendation is envisaged to cost $100,000 (ADB
loan to Pakistan).
Sources said the basic objective of this study was to identify
constraints impeding the growth in agriculture and corresponding
strategies to achieve sustained and cost- effective output.
The scope of the study covers need assessment, master plan
development for medium (2005) and long term policy reforms (2010)
package, sources said.
Giving brief background of this project, sources said public sector
should confine its role to regulation, research and extension. They
added that all the commercial production and trading activities be
entrusted to private sector.
The natural monopolies such as rivers, canals and water courses be
managed through stockholders association in participatory manner.
The government must remove all subsidies and refrain from creating
market distortions through support price, purchase etc, sources
said.
Sources said there was need to improve competitiveness in
agriculture via training/ education, quality control and creating
awareness amongst growers and consumers by organizing fairs,
exhibitions etc.
The project envisaged that the research should be market driven.
The growers, industry and research tripartite working arrangement
be developed.
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991102
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan for SAARC moot on schedule, says FO
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: Pakistan has welcomed the Sri Lankan statement
that the Saarc summit should be held on schedule in Kathmandu this
month.
The foreign minister of Pakistan, conveying his appreciation to the
foreign minister of Sri Lanka, said his country shared the Sri
Lankan view that a deviation from the Saarc charter and practices,
particularly with regard to non-interference in the internal
affairs of states, would have serious and damaging consequences for
the progress, prosperity, peace and security of South Asia.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan had issued an statement regarding
speculations in the media concerning the impact of recent
developments in Pakistan on the convening of the forthcoming Saarc
summit, a foreign office statement said.
There is no provision in the Saarc charter for postponement of the
association's conferences on grounds of political changes in a
member-state. Nor a summit has ever been deferred for this reason
since the inception of Saarc in the last fourteen years, the FO
said.
A postponement of the summit would, therefore, be inconsistent with
the charter, violate the principle of decision-making by unanimity
and set an unfortunate precedent for individual members to serve
their narrow interests to the detriment of the prospects of
advancement of regional cooperation, the FO added.
Back to the top
===================================================================
EDITORIALS & FEATURES
991031
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Storming of the Supreme Court
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
"LEMMING: noun - A small short-tailed thickset rodent related to
the voles; a person who unthinkingly joins a mass-movement,
especially a headlong rush to destruction."
On October 27, fourteen lemmings of the PML species awoke from
their slumber and issued to the press the following statement
addressed to their fellow citizens. The fourteen were : Syed Fakhr
Imam, Mian Mohammad Azhar, Mansoor Hayat Tamman, Khurshid Mahmud
Kasuri, Shahzada Mohiuddin, Colonel Ghulam Sarwar Cheema, Syed
Sajjad Haider, Nasir Baloch, Chaudhry Ashraf, Hamza, Sikandar Hayat
Malhi, Mian Abdul Waheed, Syed Shabbir Shah, and Syeda Abida
Hussain. The text of their statement :
"We, the undersigned Members of the National Assembly of Pakistan,
who had prepared and communicated the attached memorandum for
former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on August 11, 1999, have
reassembled today, under deeply sobering and altered circumstances,
to discuss the causes which led to the debacle of October 12, 1999.
It is our considered view that what had obtained circumstantially
was a total collapse of institutional checks and balances. In a
parliamentary system of government, for effective decision-making,
checks must be made other than by the Opposition, by the Ruling
Party as a whole, by the parliamentary party and by the Cabinet.
Since all of these checks had been progressively and seriously
undermined, the PML workers, office bearers and Members of
Parliament are today faced with a formidable challenge to deal
sagaciously and effectively with the prevailing situation.
"We, the undersigned, therefore affirm before all members of the
Pakistan Muslim League and the people of our country that we will
first and foremost ensure that in the future adequate checks and
balances will be created within the party organization as a defence
against arbitrary decision-making and to prevent a polity which
tampers with the institutions of State.
"We hereby also make public the memorandum prepared and
communicated by us in August 1999 to the former prime minister to
share with the people of our country the direction of our thoughts.
While supporting across-the-board accountability, we would urge
that this process not be limited to politicians alone and that any
kind of victimization be scrupulously avoided. The Pakistan Muslim
League has almost a hundred years of history behind it, during
which this party has survived many upheavals.
"As Muslim Leaguers, we affirm our resolve to remain united, and
call for the Parliamentary Party to meet as soon as possible for
further debate and decisions. We urge the authorities to make their
intervention as brief as possible to put Pakistan back on track as
a democratic State by restoring the suspended Parliament and the
Constitution of Pakistan."
The memorandum to which they refer, written to their former leader,
listed most of the things that had gone disastrously wrong since he
came in for his second round: the economy, the post-Kargil
situation, international relations, agriculture, the IPPs etc.,
etc. They clearly indicated that they felt it was all swiftly
slipping away, and, worried about their jobs, they suggested that
the leader do something about it, and in double-time.
I questioned two of the signatories to the press release to whom I
have access, Syed Fakhr Imam and the non-roaring Khurshid, son of
Tiger Kasuri.
Q.1 : "Total collapse of institutional checks and balances" Does
this include the most important institutional pillar, the
judiciary?
A.1 : Of course.
Q.2 : "... in future to prevent a polity which tampers with the
institutions of State". By this you mean that the institutions of
State have in the past been tampered with?
A.2 : You know better.
Q.3 : What did you do when members of your party stormed the
Supreme Court on November 28, 1997?
A.3 : Uh uh hmm uh mmm.
Q.4 : "Whilst supporting across-the-board accountability we would
urge that this process not be limited to politicians alone ... ".
Would you like the judiciary to be also accountable?
A.4 : Naturally. Everybody.
Where were these supporters of democracy when their leader pushed
through Parliament the 13th and 14th Constitutional Amendments,
suspending the rules of procedure and disallowing any debate? Why
did they only awaken when their livelihood was at stake?
As for the storming of the Supreme Court, the matter remains very
much alive. On May 14, 1999 the Bench of three judges - Justices
Nasir Aslam Zahid, Munawar Ahmad Mirza and Abdur Rahman Khan -
found themselves unable to convict any man of having committed
contempt in the face of the court by storming the Supreme Court of
Pakistan. On May 19, journalist Shahid Orakzai filed a petition in
the Supreme Court against the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Group)
and Others, inter alia, pleading that -
".... the proceedings conducted by a full bench headed by Mr Nasir
Aslam Zahid were coram no judice as they violated the rules of the
Court as well as the Constitution of Pakistan ... The first
betrayal surfaced when the wrong-hand of the Prime Minister,
Senator Saifur Rahman, was intriguingly excluded from the list of
respondents though the inquiry had pinpointed his role in
obstructing the Court by ordering the policemen not to block the
entry of rowdy supporters of the Prime Minister ...
This petition was heard by Chief Justice Ajmal Mian and Justices
Saiduzzaman Siddiqui, Irshad Hasan Khan, Raja Afrasiab Khan and
Mohammad Bashir Jehangiri on June 14, 1999, and the full bench of
five ordered:
"This criminal original petition has been filed under Rule 1 and 7
of Order XXVII of the Supreme Court Rules 1980 for initiating
contempt of court proceedings de novo in respect of rowdyism, which
had taken place on 28/11/97 at the Supreme Court premises, inter
alia, on the ground that the bench which heard the case was not
properly constituted as it was not headed by the Chief Justice. In
view of the Full Bench judgment of this Court in the case of
Muhammad Ikram Chaudhary and Others v. Federation of Pakistan and
Others, reported in PLD 1998 SC 103, the judgment rendered by a
Bench of this Court on 14/5/99 in the above contempt case cannot be
reviewed through the above original criminal petition on the above
ground or on any other ground. We would therefore convert this
petition into an appeal and direct the office to treat it as such
and issue notice to the respondents, the Attorney-General for
Pakistan, and the persons against whom the charges were framed."
On October 28 1999, Orakzai filed an application "for immediate
hearing of Cr. Appeal No.162 of 1999, inter alia, asking -
"That while the rowdies and vandals who hurled abuses at the court
in the most vulgar language and called the Chief Justice of
Pakistan a 'kutta' right inside the principal seat of this Court
are still enjoying their time and roaming around freely ... That
the said appeal relates to the most serious and contumacious of
contempt ever committed in the judicial history and is prior in
time to other contempt matters pending before the Court as well as
raises issues far more serious than other cases ... . Therefore,
this appeal be given the due priority guaranteed by the
Constitution and the Rules of this Court."
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991105
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The new Samaritans
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayaz Amir
I remember discussing with a group of friends in Chakwal General
Zia's promise to hold elections in 90 days and relinquish power.
This was in September 1977. Most of us were of the opinion that
having made such a pledge before the whole world, Zia would have to
stick to it.
One Syed Anwar Shah, then patwari of Chakwal, also happened to be
with us. He quietly listened to our discourse and when we had
finished he said that when the patwariship of Chakwal, a lucrative
assignment, fell vacant he and another person joined the race to
fill it. Both of them pulled what strings they could, from the
commissioner in Rawalpindi to the Board of Revenue in Lahore.
Ultimately the matter was settled in Anwar Shah's favour by the
Chief Secretary of Punjab.
The question which Patwari Anwar Shah put to us was this: if he and
his competitor could go to such lengths to secure a gift as
relatively small as that of the patwarkhana of Chakwal, were we in
our senses to think that anyone holding the nation's destiny in his
hands would quit so easily and retire to his farm in the
countryside?
When I remember this it does not take General Pervez Musharraf's
pronounced lack of clarity on the question of a time-frame for the
restoration of democracy to tell me that he will not be in a hurry
to go away. If renunciation and self-abnegation are not qualities
associated with the patwaris of Chakwal, how much less so with
patriarchs in the Latin American sense of the word?
Whether we like it or not, General Musharraf, to the roll of
muffled drums, now joins the pantheon of Pakistan's patriarchs, a
hall of fame where shrouded in gloom sit the uneasy busts of his
predecessors, generals Ayub, Yahya and Zia. To his good fortune, he
joins this select company with an easy conscience, his mind not
troubled with the weight of any dark conspiracy. He is in a
position to say that what has come to pass he did not seek. It was
forced upon him by events set in motion by the amazing stupidity of
that ironmonger and his clan who were placed over our heads by a
mocking destiny. It will be some time before this excuse starts
wearing thin.
But the question of greater interest to the somewhat bemused
citizens of the Islamic Republic is now not so much how these
events were enacted as how the future is likely to unfold. Will new
ground be broken or, as in a nightmare, are we doomed to revisit
the haunts of the past?
General Musharraf's optimism notwithstanding, the sad-looking and
tired crew recruited thus far for his ship - Pirzada, Attiya
Enayatullah et al - holds little promise that we are about to sail
into the sun. As for the past, it too is hardly reassuring.
Military interventions in Pakistan have always followed a certain
genetic code. In the beginning they exude a sense of vitality and
vigour. Public expectations are high and there is talk of reform in
the air. Politicians as a class are reviled and stories of their
ineptitude and corruption are laid bare. Then as time passes
military rule mutates into a hybrid democracy with a section of the
political class becoming willing tools of the new dispensation.
This was the pattern both under Ayub and Zia. Yahya who came in
between had not the time for it because he was busy presiding over
the break-up of Pakistan.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and then, a political generation later, Benazir
Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were products of the mutant and distorted
democracy growing out of military rule. Bhutto senior was a product
of the Ayub regime; Nawaz Sharif and his Muslim League the most
outstanding political products of the Zia regime. In blaming these
knights for their failures, and there is no doubt their failures
have been conspicuous and enormous, the army cannot absolve itself
of a large share of the blame.
When it plays the role of genetic and biological scientist it
cannot disclaim responsibility for the mutant species issuing forth
from its laboratories. One of the more memorable lines spoken by
General Musharraf since seizing power is that he would not like to
see a return to any "sham" democracy. Does he not realize that
military rule, especially when prolonged, can deliver only a "sham"
democracy? If a sapling is deliberately stunted, how can it grow
into a healthy plant?
Now once again Pakistan finds itself in the throes of another
political experiment presided over by yet another military figure
who is asking his countrymen to suspend disbelief, take everything
on trust and pay no heed to the past. Where this experiment might
lead or what political species it ends up producing we do not know.
What is certain is that across the political spectrum there is a
great vacuum created by the comprehensive manner in which the
political class and its two fountainheads, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir
Bhutto, have discredited themselves. A plague upon both your
houses: this is the public attitude towards them. Into this vacuum
has marched the army but far from helping to clear the mist, its
action has added to the sum of national disquiet. The reason:
despite the rhetoric we are hearing and the brave face being put on
events, the army too seems vague about how to cut through the
thicket of confusion besetting the nation's path. More than any
other kind of bankruptcy, this is a bankruptcy of ideas.
Examples of confusion: APP quotes General Musharraf as saying (1)
"once we analyze the situation at the grassroots level, districts
would be made autonomous bodies... (controlling) their own destiny,
education, medical, communication and whatever they want;" and (2)
"the days of the British era are gone when the government
functionaries were put there to control and subjugate the people...
the people are supreme, the government functionaries must be made
subservient to (them)."
Resonant words but steeped in simplicity. How can he be sure that
once the situation at the grass-roots' level is analyzed, the
automatic conclusion would be that districts should be made
"autonomous" in the manner he speaks of? Why not wait for the
analysis before jumping the gun? There is a crying need to improve
the administration of justice (the bedrock of a modern state) and
to make the writ of the state more effective so that laws are not
only passed but also enforced. But first there is a need to
understand the problem. How would an armyman react if a civilian
knowing nothing of military matters were to talk of corps and
divisional re-organization?
Much the same holds true for the perfunctory reference to the
British era. In Pakistan blaming colonialism for all our ills is
the last refuge of ignorance. Why do we forget that the
codification of laws, the rule of law and the institutionalization
of merit as the basis of advancement and preferment were ideas
brought into the subcontinent by the British, ideas largely alien
to our own history and which we have done our best to roll back.
Any serious attempt at administrative reform will have to cut
through the corruption and mayhem of the last 50 years and start
from where the British left off. A soldier at least should be able
to understand this point better because to the extent that the
army, organized totally on British lines, has retained its cohesion
and professionalism, it has done so by jealously guarding and not
doing away with the ethos and traditions of the old British Indian
army.
Another example of confusion: the Punjab governor paying a surprise
visit to a thana and being appalled by conditions obtaining there.
In the first flush of enthusiasm high-ranking officials are
invariably tempted to act as school, hospital and thana inspectors.
They forget that while such inspections are useful, of far greater
importance is the need for institutional reform - a need postponed
for the last 52 years.
Tailpiece: In a nation where self-promotion has been developed into
an art form, one of the greatest self-promoters of all must be
newly-appointed envoy to the UK, Akbar S. Ahmed. The picture of him
in the papers talking to the Chief Executive is a classic. While
the CE looks slightly bewildered, Akbar Ahmed is caught in
pontificating mode. The question is: was Akbar Ahmed already known
to the CE or did someone recommend him? Either way one must hand it
to the high commissioner-designate for a job well done.
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991106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
In-laws and outlaws
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Irfan Husain
HAVING suggested to the army that its national agenda be kept
short, I was not planning to add to that advice. But meanwhile a
long conversation with a senior serving army officer gave me much
food for thought.
He agreed that the army had no panacea for the country's many ills
and should not stay any longer than necessary. "However", he
continued. 'You have suggested that the revival of the economy
should be one of the two main points on our agenda, and have gone
on to say that law and order is a prerequisite to rescuing the
economy. But how can law and order be restored when criminals
accused of the most vicious offences are arrested and released on
bail; when cases take years to come to court, and after an initial
hearing, the case then drags on forever because the litigants are
permitted to use the most blatant dilatory tactics; and when
allegations of corruption are rife?"
He went on to argue that virtually every area of our lives is
affected by the judiciary, and the public perception is that there
is one set of laws for the poor, and another one for the rich and
the powerful. So, he continued, how can any problem be solved
without first carrying out a reform of the judicial system?
"Accountability is a major public demand, but after nearly three
years, Asif Zardari has neither been convicted nor acquitted of any
of the charges he is facing; the one case in which he was convicted
is now under appeal in the Supreme Court. Most ordinary cases,
especially those involving property, drag on for years."
I have often thought about this problem, as I am sure many other
Pakistanis have. Take the revolting case of judicial killings as an
example. Scores of prisoners accused of violent crimes have been
allegedly gunned down in cold blood by the police in crudely
fabricated "encounters." This is a common occurrence in Sindh and
Punjab and has been regularly criticized by human rights activists
and the media here and abroad. And yet this gruesome practice
persists as a normal policing tool.
When I ask my friends in the police service why they don't put an
end to this evil, they point out that some alleged killers have
been arrested as many as twenty times, only to be let off on bail
each time. This is even truer of terrorists when their political
parties and patrons threaten judges. According to a senior police
officer, if these alleged criminals had not met their sordid ends,
but been released yet again on bail, Pakistan would have been a
more violent country than it already is.
Talk to the judges and you get a different story. For starters,
most police investigations are limited to torturing a suspect and
extorting a confession. Forensic science is largely a mystery to
the police, and fingerprinting, a technique developed a century
ago, is still not widely used here. Photographic evidence and the
intricacies of detection have yet to be introduced. According to
the police, they don't get enough funds. But surely they could have
made a start. And far too often, a police case rests on the sworn
testimony of police witnesses. These worthies appear in scores of
different cases, perjuring themselves in each one. Often they
appear before the same judge who, although forced to accept this
tainted testimony despite his reservations, gives the suspect the
benefit of the doubt.
Then there is the tendency among our people to go to court for
anything and everything. During Benazir Bhutto's last stint, a
gentleman moved the Lahore High Court to challenge the government's
appointment of Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan as our high commissioner to
the United Kingdom. In his petition, he put forward the plea that
he was better qualified for that post. The court accepted this
petition for a formal hearing, and the Foreign Office was directed
to defend its appointment. Now the same person has moved a similar
plea against this government's nominee for the post, Akbar S.
Ahmad. One would have imagined that with such a huge backlog of
pending cases, our courts would be stricter in deciding which cases
they will hear.
Our lawyers are in the habit of accepting far more cases than they
can handle with the result that they are often supposed to be in
two different courts on the same day. Since even our legal wizards
cannot manage this feat, they use their connections and a small
part of their (usually tax-free) legal fees to persuade court
registrars to change the date of their appearance. This causes an
endless prolongation of cases. Instead of cracking down on this
practice, our judiciary has accepted it as a part of the system.
Often, lawyers are not prepared and thus ask the judge for a
postponement. Even more often, it is in the litigant's interest to
postpone a decision indefinitely and this will be his brief to his
lawyer.
When he was presiding over an anti-terrorist court, my military
interlocutor said he did not allow any postponement for any reason,
and if a defendant's lawyer did not appear for any reason, he was
given the option of accepting a court-appointed and officially paid
lawyer. If this approach were made mandatory, the entire machinery
would be speeded up.
Another problem with the system is the shortage of judges at
different levels. Time and again, successive chief justices have
drawn the executive's attention to this gap. And this brings us to
the issue of judicial independence. Much has been written about
this vexing question, and nobody I know has been against this
concept in principle. But its implementation has been beyond the
abilities and will of successive governments. It is true that with
the criteria for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary now
established as legal precedent, many anomalies have been removed.
Nevertheless, it is not certain that independence will guarantee
that the system will be more efficient and honest.
Living as we do in a society where merit is at a discount and
sifarish is essential for advancement, it is difficult to see how
members of the judiciary can be totally cut off from this system.
Transfers and promotions are often in the hands of bureaucrats and
politicians, as are jobs for sons and sons-in-law. And when you ask
for favours, you have to be prepared to do them as well.
In this brief article, I have described just the tip of the
iceberg. The question is who will reform the system? Politicians in
power have no incentive to bring about sweeping changes. But if the
army sets about doing it, they will be unable to return to the
barracks in my lifetime. We should remember what the Duke of
Wellington said when asked to give his opinion on a proposed
reform: "Reform? Reform? Aren't things bad enough already?"
===================================================================
SPORTS
991105
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Pakistan take on Australia in first Test today
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BRISBANE, Nov 4: The Rawalpindi Express may have been put off
limits by the management but Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram says
Shoaib Akhtar is ready to fire in Friday's opening cricket Test
with Australia here.
Shoaib, a naturally outgoing person who publicly stated he would
break the 100 miles per hour (160kph) barrier this season, has been
gagged by Pakistani team management after a harrowing week that saw
the legality of his bowling action questioned.
Pakistan manager Yawar Saeed has banned his players from talking to
the media before the Test, but Shoaib Akhtar was quoted in a Sydney
newspaper on Thursday as defending his bowling action.
Akram put some ginger into the Test buildup when he declared that
Shoaib, who has 28 wickets from 10 Tests, is the best bowler in the
world.
"He (Shoaib) is the best bowler in the world and he's going to show
it in the Test match, we don't have to say much about him because
he's going to perform and we will talk about his performance,"
Akram said on Thursday.
"Nothing's going to make him think about his action or anything,
he's going to bowl normally, he's the sort of bloke who nothing
bothers him much.
"He wants to enjoy his cricket and I told him 'enjoy your cricket
and we'll look after you, stay away from the press and you can just
perform with the ball out there, and answer them back'."
Akram also predicted Pakistan would win the three-match series.
Australia, to be led by Steve Waugh, have never lost a Test series
against Pakistan at home but Akram, playing his 89th Test, said
that was about to change. -AFP/Reuters
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991105
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Akhtar Rasool resigns from PHF presidentship
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LAHORE, Nov 4: Akhtar Rasool Chaudhary, the President of the
Pakistan Hockey Federation, has resigned from the office on
personal grounds.
"After careful consideration I have decided to quit on personal
reasons", Akhtar Rasool said in an exclusive interview here on
Thursday.
Akhtar, who served PHF as President for three years and as many
months, said since he was no more in the government and thinks that
he was nor more useful to serve as the chief of the PHF.
Akhtar was elected President first time for almost one year term in
1997 followed by his second election last year in August and his
tenure was to be expired in year 2002.
"I do not want to stick to the post if I am not in a position to
serve or support the PHF or to raise funds and I have taken this
decision in the larger interest of the game", he said.
Akhtar Rasool said he did his best with honesty, devotion and
dedication for the promotion of hockey after taking over a broken
team due to a revolt before 1996 Atlanta Olympic and a financially
crunched PHF. "Now When I am leaving, to team is showing signs of
progress and performance and Rs 15 million are in the kitty of the
PHF", he said.
He said it takes years to build a balanced side in today's world of
modern hockey and scientific approach to the game and it is really
hard to generate money from private sector without relying on
Government.
"It was our achievement that we generated adequate sponsorship from
our own resources besides ensuring maximum participation of senior
and junior teams in international tournaments ", he said.
Akhtar said from 1997 to 99 the Pakistan teams took part in
altogether 14 international events which is a record and 12 PHF
spent Rs 60 million for the promotion of hockey.
"We ensured that the teams should play against top teams of the
world instead putting them against weaker teams and through this
senior and junior teams earned the valuable experience of
competitive hockey ",he said.
Former Pakistan Captain PHF admitted that during his tenure the
team earned less victories because it was in the process of re-
building and re-shaping.
He said coming and going of people is in an institution is a
continuous process and efforts should be made to strengthen
institutions not individuals.Akhtar thanked congress and council
members of the PHF for electing him President twice and extending
him cooperation and help for running the affairs of the hockey
federation smoothly.
Akhtar Rasool said no matter he was more the President of PHF but
offered his services for the cause of hockey.
"If I could be useful for hockey in any way my doors are always
open for everyone", he said.-APP
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991104
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Video footage of Shoaib has no official status: ACB
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BRISBANE, Nov 3: Australian Cricket Board (ACB) chief executive
Malcolm Speed ended the Shoaib Akhtar chucking affair with a brief
telephone call to Pakistani manager Yawar Saeed on Wednesday.
A 20-minute video tape of Akhtar's action sent by umpires Ross
Emerson and Terry Prue arrived in the ACB's morning mail but Speed
told Yawar the matter could go no further.
The match in question, Western Australia versus Pakistan at Perth
last Wednesday, was not sanctioned by the International Cricket
Council (ICC) so there was no official referee.
The fact that Emerson and Prue failed to query Akhtar's action in
their match report, only becoming suspicious while watching
television highlights the next day, meant the ACB was unable to
involve the ICC's nine-man throwing committee.
"Malcolm Speed told me he had received the tape and he had watched
it," Yawar said.
"He told me the tape had no official status and as far as he and I
are concerned, it is all over now and we can look forward to a
great Test series."
Australia's new coach John Buchanan was unhappy the issue had been
raised.
"I think it does more of a disservice to cricket than anything
else," he said.
"It certainly disturbs the individual no matter who it is, I'm sure
(Muttiah) Muralitharan would say the same thing," he said referring
to the Sri Lankan spinner, whose action has been under intense
scruntiny for a number of years - particularly in Australia.
Emerson sparked a furore last summer when he called Muralitharan
for chucking in a on-day game against England, prompting Sri Lankan
captain Arjuna Ranatunga to lead his players off the field in
protest.
AUSTRALIANS UNDER-ACHIEVERS: Australia have been under-achieving in
the Test arena since winning the Ashes against England here last
summer, Buchanan said.
Steve Waugh's incumbency as Test skipper has realised a 2-2 series
draw with the West Indies and retention of the Frank Worrell Trophy
in the Caribbean, a waterlogged 1-0 loss in Sri Lanka and a one-off
win over Zimbabwe in Harare late last month.
Winning the World Cup in England last June took the heat off the
Australians but Buchanan, who introduced himself to his players on
Tuesday night after taking over from Geoff Marsh, said better
results in Tests were attainable.
Buchanan, a Queenslander, walked onto the Gabba for the first time
in his new role on Wednesday to read a sign on the giant video
screen: "Congratulations and good luck John Buchanan, Australian
coach."
"You couldn't say they are not a successful side, they have got the
trophies to say that, but they would be the first to admit they
could be doing more than what they have done," Buchanan said.
"As a group we talked about that last night. There are some goals
we can set ourselves, not just the team but the squad and that will
carry into the way the (Australian) states develop their players as
well.
"So we have something pictured three or four years down the track."
Buchanan told the players he was proud to be a part of their tight-
knit group and told them it would take "the next few months" for
everybody to get to know each other.
A major problem for Australia this calendar year has been its top-
order batting, which has relied too much on captain Steve Waugh and
lately No.6 Ricky Ponting.
"We'll have a much better appreciation of where we stand batting-
wise at the end of these six Test matches" against Pakistan and
India, Buchanan said.
"If the players are playing well it's one of the most potent
batting sides in the world, we just have to wait and see how they
are performing against good quality attacks, different types of
attacks from both countries."
Buchanan is making his Test debut but more attention will be on new
wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, whom Shane Warne said could compile a
Test record as good as Ian Healy, his predecessor.
Gilchrist is unsure what type of reception he will get from a Gabba
crowd who would rather be saying goodbye to Healy, and Buchanan has
appealed for support for Gilchrist.
"Heals has been just a fantastic servant for Queensland and
Australia for so long and I know he himself certainly wouldn't like
to see that," Buchanan said of an indifferent reception for
Gilchrist.
MCGRATH HONOURED: Fast bowler Glenn McGrath's destruction of
England's Ashes challenge last summer helped him be named Wisden's
Australian Cricketer of the Year on Wednesday.
He edged out captain Steve Waugh for the prestigious prize
primarily because of his 24 wickets against England last summer and
a big-hearted 30 victims during only four Tests in the West Indies.
McGrath, who lived in a caravan when he started playing grade
cricket in Sydney, is a modest man and was thrilled by the
recognition from the cricketing bible.
"To be named cricketer of the year in a team like the Australian
team at the moment is a pretty big buzz," said McGrath, who has 244
wickets from 53 Tests.-AFP
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991101
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Waugh hits back at Akram's comments
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SYDNEY, Oct 31: Australia captain Steve Waugh on Sunday dismissed
criticism by his Pakistan counterpart Wasim Akram of the itinerary
for the early part of their tour of Australia, saying they were
"pretty stupid".
Akram said last week he was unhappy with a tour schedule which gave
Pakistan just one first-class and two one-day matches leading into
the three-Test series which starts in Brisbane next Friday.
Waugh, who will be leading Australia in a home series for the first
time, described Akram's comments over the itinerary as "pretty
stupid really".
"They were playing a one-day tournament in Sharjah (beforehand), so
it's their choice what they want to do," he told reporters.
"I think he must have forgotten about what all the other touring
sides do when they tour other countries as well.
"We had one game in Sri Lanka and one game in Pakistan. That's the
nature of cricket these days. You're not going to have long tours
so I would have thought he would be used to that by now."
Pakistan are currently playing a four-day match against Queensland
in Brisbane.
Waugh said the usually crucial opening session of a Test series
would take on even more importance this time because of the bouncy
'Gabba wicket in Brisbane and Pakistan's absence from the Test
scene recently.
He said team who dominated the first session generally won the
first day and the first Test and also the series.
"That's how important it is first up and more so against these
guys," Waugh said.
The Australian skipper also rejected a suggestion in a Sydney
newspaper article that he was frustrated and operating in the
shadow of former captain Mark Taylor, following comments he made in
an article in a domestic cricket publication.
"You can read into it whatever you want but what I am saying is
basically Mark (Taylor) was an excellent batsman, he hit 19 Test
centuries and averaged 45 yet no one recognises him as a batsman
these days. It's all about the captaincy," he said.-Reuters
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